Squad news

PREVIEW: LUGO – DEPORTIVO (LIGA)

03 May 2014Galician encounter at the Anxo Carro; Depor search to establish a new club’s record of away victories and use the same lineup of the debacle against Ponferradina. Lugo are trusting in Rennella and his goals.

STATISTICS: SEARCHING THE RECORDDeportivo are searching to break their historic record of away wins. So far the Galicians have clinched 11 away victories, same mark of the Segunda season 2011/12, so a new success on the road will establish a new mark in the centenary history of the club. And Depor will have four opportunities to establish this mark as four of the last six games on the season are taking place away from the Riazor.

Fernando Vázquez’s team remains as the best visiting outfit in the league after adding 34 points in 17 liga visits, but CD Lugo is also a strong team at home. Los Albirrojos represent the seventh best local team after adding 31 points in 18 home meetings. They have only lost five times at the Anxo Carro: 1-2 Vs. Girona FC (matchday 05), 1-3 Vs. Sporting Gijón (matchday 15), 1-2 Vs. AD Alcorcón (matchday 17), 1-3 Vs. Hércules CF (matchday 19) & 1-3 Vs. CD Tenerife (matchday 27).

The strength of both teams is located at defense; CD Lugo have conceded 42 goals, which is a lot, but the explanation is that they lived a negative period in which they even allowed 6 goals before current last place Girona FC. But there’s a stat that demonstrates their defensive solidity: the Galician neighbors are the third team with more clean sheets on the season (16), only behind SD Eibar (19) and Depor (18).

Deportivo have always faced problems visiting the Anxo Carro; it only played once there for liga and lost 1-0 during the Tercera season 1974/75, but also played there five times for Copa Del Rey ending scoreless in three opportunities. So, Depor were unable to score goals in 4 of its 6 visits to this stadium, their biggest result was a 1-4 win in Copa (season 1982/83).

Without been a derby, there will be a great environment at the Anxo Carro. At least 4,000 Depor’s fans will make the trip to Lugo, around 3,300 will be able to watch the game inside the stadium, while the rest will have the chance to watch the actions in a giant screen.

DEPORTIVO: SEARCHING FOR THE UNBALANCECoach Fernando Vázquez has decided to keep playing with a 4-1-4-1 figure; after thinking about it for a long time –he even released the list of picked players until Friday’s night for this reason- he decided to keep searching for the unbalance, characterized by playing with one offensive midfielder and then two playmakers.

The coach tested the 4-1-4-1 and the traditional 4-2-3-1 during the trainings and didn’t clarify which scheme would he use during the press conference, but a fact that reveals his plans is the exit of Cezary Wilk from the list of picked players. It means that Álex Bergantiños is the only defensive midfielder in the list and that he will be on the bench as the coach prepares a more offensive approach.

Álex Bergantiños was a starter in 31 of the first 32 matchdays at Liga Adelante. He only missed the visit to Real Jaén due to suspension; actually he only missed to complete the full 90 minutes in two opportunities: 0-1 Vs. Córdoba CF (80 minutes) and 0-1 Vs. Real Murcia (82 minutes). Then, on matchday 32 as Depor were hosting CD Tenerife (March 29), the Galician midfielder picked a muscle problem that sidelined him for a couple of weeks and he hasn’t played since then.

In this way, Juan Dominguez will keep performing alone at midfield, with Juan Carlos and Chilean Bryan Rabello as the playmakers, with Ivorian Ibrahim Sissoko and Portuguese Luisinho attacking from the sides, while Uruguayan Diego Ifrán should stay in attack.

The defensive line is the same one with German Lux defending the goal, Laureano Sanabria ‘Laure’ performs at the right side of the defense, Diego Seoane covers the left sector, while Pablo Insua and Albert Lopo are the centre backs.

Together with Wilk, the other players out for tactical reasons are attackers Javier Arizmendi and Luis Fernández. Winger Antonio Núñez is back from the back problem that sidelined him for the past game against SD Ponferradina, so Diogo Salomão is the only player staying at the injury room.

Insua said before the game that the players are anxiously waiting for the meeting, ”It’s a new opportunity to add points again, to change the image left on last Saturday, besides this is a derby. A lot of people are traveling, it’s hopeful and we’re counting the hours for the game. Lugo is among the teams that propose the more attractive football, they are strong at home and lately are getting the results and you have to add the motivation as this is a derby. We are forced to correspond the support with a good game and a good result.”

Meanwhile, Lopo was remembering that nothing is done yet in the quest for the promotion, ”We cannot depend of the rivals. They lost and for us it was perfect, but we must go out in order to win. We must follow the path of previous games because, if we think that everything is done, then we’ll live a bad moment. It would be a pity, because only a few games are left and we have a good mattress of points.”

LUGO: A FACTOR CALLED RENNELLAVincenzo Rennella has had a big impact at CD Lugo on this season; he was the second choice of coach Quique Setién after failing to secure the arrival of Borja Bastón. The French-Italian attacker arrived loaned from Real Betis and had a devastating start scoring five goals in his first six appearances.

There was a draught at the middle of the season due to injury reasons (he missed the first round game against Depor), but lately the 25-year-old player has recovered his previous form and scored three goals in his last six games. Totally, Rennella has netted 11 goals in the league, which is the 8th best mark at Liga Adelante.

CD Lugo is characterized for been a solid block with more strengths at defense, thus the importance of Rennella as he scores the goals in a team that only completes 8.87 shots per game, one of the lowest percentages in the league. And it’s that Renella has scored the 28% of Lugo’s goals, the 8th highest percentage in the league.

After using a 4-1-4-1 figure in the defeat against Sporting Gijón, it’s now expected that Setién will return to the traditional 4-2-3-1 figure. Ex-Depor Dani Mallo returned to the goal on last weekend and now it’s expected that he will play against his former team.

Ex-Celta B Víctor Díaz performs at the right side of the defense; captain Manu Rodríguez covers the left side, then ex-Numancia Manuel Pavón and Víctor Marco perform at the centre of the defense.

One of the references at this team is ex-Fabril Carlos Pita, who will be joined at midfield by Fernando Seoane. Former Cádiz Pablo Sánchez attacks from the right flank, while Iago Díaz does it from the left. Sergio Rodríguez, who arrived loaned from Real Betis during the winter window, normally performs as the playmaker, but he’s dragging a muscle problem and therefore Álvaro Peña plays behind Rennella in attack.

Fernando Seoane explained what he expects from this match, ”They were dragging a good form until the last defeat, perhaps they just slowed down, it was just an accident, but the true is that their performance throughout the season has been solid and we aren’t expecting for a relaxed Deportivo. They are coming for everything. We must have the ball and not depend of what the others can do.”

Iago Diaz was also saying that Depor’s last defeat was an accident, ”It would be hard to score against Depor. I believe that what happened to them against Ponferradina was an accident. I’m expecting for a rival that defends pretty well, while us will try to be faithful with our style, always having the ball. I expect for an equal game, because we’re strong at home and they’re strong on the road, so the winner will be the more effective side inside the area.”

Finally, ex-Depor Pita was assuring that Lugo should try to be more ambitious now as the permanence is almost secured, ”We are living a privileged situation, something we would have signed at the beginning of the season. Maybe this is the right moment to be more ambitious, the moment of making a step forward, trying to reach in these six matchdays a goal that would be really important for the club.”